


Night Fires

by w3llthatdidntwork



Series: Click Click Bang [2]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: A little angst, F/F, Handcuffs, Knifeplay, Person of Interest, Smut, Waxplay, root's past, shoot, smut smut smut, smut with feelings?, smut with plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 00:24:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16377911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w3llthatdidntwork/pseuds/w3llthatdidntwork
Summary: Why did Root invite Shaw all the way out to Texas? Shaw keeps asking herself over and over but Root avoids the question.





	Night Fires

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place several years after "Click Click Bang".

****When Root had invited Shaw to Texas, Shaw hadn’t been expecting this.

 

Root was handcuffed to a metal bed frame and they were both naked on a twin sized bed. The bedsheets where a faded purple color and a picture of a small dog stared at them from the nightstand. Shaw hadn’t expected Root to take her to her childhood home and she definitely hadn’t expected to have sex in Root’s childhood bed.

 

When Root had picked Shaw up at the airport, she’d refused to say where they were going and kept changing the subject the whole drive. Root had picked Shaw up in that same old Ford truck that Shaw had seen Root in years ago. Shaw had thought that Root had stolen it from some sucker. Instead, she found out that it actually belonged to Root.

It was hard to understand why someone would waste gas on an old ’70’s clunker. Driving an old Ford F-250 was like driving an old boat on the road. It looked awful with peeling blue paint and it couldn’t even go fast. Shaw didn’t understand the point of keeping it.

 

They arrived at a one story house that was isolated on several acres of unkempt land. Root got out of the truck first and Shaw followed behind, grabbing her suitcase from the bed of the truck before meeting Root at the front door. While Shaw was waiting for Root to unlock the door she managed to get a glimpse around the front porch. It looked like nobody had been home for over a decade. Was this a safe house? Why did Root take her to a safe house all the way out in Texas?

 

Once Root got the door open, Shaw tossed her luggage into the dusty living room. Root walked back to the truck to get some grocery bags out and Shaw followed to help. On the drive over, Root insisted on stoping at a grocery store. They piled several days worth of food in the fridge and Shaw was thankful that the fridge had electricity. Looking at the house from the outside, she was unsure if electricity and running water would be a thing.

 

Shaw investigated inside the house as soon as they finished unloading the truck. The mystery of why Root brought her to this particular house became more apparent as she got a better look around. She recognized the eyes of the little girl staring back at her from the picture frames on the wall. It was Root. Shaw started to realize that this was the house Root grew up in. There was no other explanation for Root’s childhood pictures to be up on the wall and for Root appearing to be so comfortable in this space.

This trip might turn into something that Shaw had no plan on getting deeper into. She was not interested in swapping childhood stories, it just wasn’t her thing. Shaw thought that was a boundary that Root respected even if they had never formally talked about it.

 

Inside the house itself seemed to be trapped in the ‘70’s. It was old, it was musty, and Shaw couldn’t describe exactly how it smelled if she had a gun to her head. The living room that she was in ran into an open concept kitchen. A hallway that led to bedrooms was located to Shaw’s right. There were a total of three framed pictures in the living room. One of Root as a toddler, one of a slightly older Root who was hugged by her mother, and one of a woman in a hospital bed.

The picture of the woman in the hospital bed stood out, it was obvious that she was Root’s mother. She almost looked like Root but not exactly like her. They shared the same eyes but she was lacking the mischievous glint behind them that Root was always carrying around. Instead, she looked defeated, her eye’s were tired and vacant as she looked away from the camera. Shaw found herself staring at this picture the longest.

 

“She was sick.” Root came up behind Shaw and wiped the dust from the glass of the picture frame. “She was an alcoholic.”

 

Shaw didn’t know what to say, so she just stood there, waiting for Root to continue.

 

“She died from kidney failure when I was in my early 20’s.” Root took Shaw by the hand and led her down the hallway. “I kept this place as a safe house but never used it.”

 

They had entered a small bedroom. It didn’t have much, a twin sized bed with purple bedding, a stack of books, and an early ‘00’s computer with the case open, the mother board of the computer spread in pieces on the desk. The photographs of Root and a small dog stood out on the walls with a single picture of the dog on the nightstand. The dog in the pictures appeared to be some kind of Jack Russel Terrier. Shaw knew this must have been Root’s room. Shaw could feel Root’s eyes on her as she looked around.

 

Shaw’s observations were cut short when Root pushed her against the room’s doorframe, making the pictures clatter from their frames against the wall from the impact. Root moved in close. She pressed her forehead against Shaw’s, staring into her eyes as she waited for a response

 

“What are you doing?” Shaw was about ready to push Root off in annoyance but she stayed in place.

 

“Are you in the mood?” Root asked.

 

“Is this another one of your weird kinks?” Shaw asked, a smile started to make its way to the corner of her lips as she realized that this was a sex thing. Of course Root would bring her here for sex. That had to be it. Why else would Root show her this place? If this was a kink thing, it made Shaw feel more comfortable. Sharing stories about growing up was not something on Shaw’s to do list.

 

“You know almost all of them. You tell me,” Root said, leaning down to kiss Shaw and smiling against Shaw’s mouth as she kissed back. Shaw let Root unzip her jacket, feeling it slide off her arms to the floor. Long fingers slipped under Shaw’s tank top and up to her breasts and Shaw grabbed Root’s hips, deepening the kiss.

 

The only reason why Shaw had accepted Root’s invite without question was because every time the two of them went out of town, they fucked like rabbits. This time was no exception. It was kind of nice; they didn’t have to worry about the boys walking in on them or accidentally leaving their comms on.

These missions outside of New York were just the two of them. They had been sleeping together since they’d first met and agreed early on that they were just along for the ride. No fuss no muss, no feelings and no expectations. Shaw would put the fact that Root brought her to her childhood home to the back of her mind. This had to be just a kink thing.

 

They kept kissing, their breath becoming ragged as they continued. Shaw spun Root around quickly and pushed her against the opposite wall in the room. Sliding down the wall until she was the same height as Shaw, Root smiled and placed a hand on Shaw’s chin.

 

“Too much clothing.” Shaw’s voice was thick and annoyed, like always at their height difference. Root nodded in agreement, lifting up Shaw’s chin and giving her one last kiss.

 

They separated and stripped down to their underwear. Shaw watched confused as Root knelt down and pulled out a shoe box from under the bed. She opened it and winked. Inside the box was some rope, handcuffs, a dildo, a strap on harness, lube, a knife, candles, a lighter, and a blindfold.

 

“So, you were always like that.” Shaw smiled, taking the box. “You have all of this in the suitcase you brought too.”

 

“I know.” Root just shrugged.

 

“So, I’m not the first?”

 

“You’re the first that let me try everything.”

 

Shaw rolled her eyes at the answer. “Shut up and sit down.” She pulled the knife from the box and pressed it to Root’s throat, inching Root back until she sat down on the bed. “We are not using the dildo; that thing is over ten years old.”

 

“Ok, Sameen.”

 

Shaw dragged the knife down Root’s chest, cutting her bra. It fell open, loosely hanging from Root’s shoulders.

 

“Take it off.” Shaw ordered as she kept the blade in place between Root’s breasts. Root slipped the straps off her shoulders with as little movement as possible, trying not to add pressure to the knife, and tossing the bra to the floor at Shaw’s feet.

 

“Anything else, sweetie?” Root asked.

 

“No,” Shaw said, letting her eyes wander down Root’s body, a small smile evident on Root’s lips as Shaw’s gaze traveled back up and their eyes locked.

 

Shaw traced the tip of the knife up Root’s throat. She pressed the tip of the blade into Root’s pulse point before removing it and replacing it with her lips. Biting gently, she heard Root gasp in response. Shaw moaned softly, enjoying the feeling of Root’s skin under her lips. Done with the knife, Shaw dropped it inside the box and reached for the handcuffs. The box was placed on the floor near Shaw’s feet.

 

The metal of the handcuffs felt cold in Shaw’s hand as she opened them and slipped one of Root’s wrists in. Shaw could feel Root’s eyes on her as Root watched Shaw’s every move, silent with anticipation, she was going to let Shaw take control this time. Early on, Shaw had made it clear that if Root said anything annoying during sex, Shaw would stop and walk out of the room. Root had learned to be quiet very quickly. 

 

Grabbing Root’s shoulders, Shaw forced her to lay back on the bed. The feeling of Root’s soft skin under her fingers was electrifying. She ran her hands down Root’s arms, teasing her with a light touch, before wrapping her hands around Root’s wrists and lifting them to the head board. Stretching to attach the handcuffs to the bed frame, Shaw could feel her skin brushing against Root, sending goosebumps down her own arms.

Shaw stood up fully over Root, satisfied at the tightness of the handcuffs. Reaching down for the box on the floor, Shaw placed the box next to the pillow for easy access before she moved down to pull off Root’s underwear. She let her fingertips lightly drag down Root’s hips to the elastic band and Root raised her hips allowing Shaw to slide the fabric down her legs.

 

“Your house, my rules.” Shaw stood next to the bed and stripped off her sports bra and boy shorts. Getting on the bed, she straddled Root’s hips. She leaned down and kissed Root, biting Root’s bottom lip. Shaw was going to make Root wait. This was for payback for all the times Root had handcuffed her to a bed frame.

 

“I think it’s ‘my house my rules,’ Sameen.”

 

“Shut up. Today, we’re doing it my way,” Shaw said. She looked down at Root who gave her a smirk and an amused head tilt in response.

 

Shaw continued, moving her lips back to Root’s and kissing her gently. When she was ready, Shaw broke off the kiss and made Root chase her lips to stay connected. She did this several times before kissing her fully, biting at red lips and making her moan.

Pulling away too fast for Root to follow, she held Root’s shoulders down on the bed to get a good look at her. Shaw wanted to see how she was affecting Root and she wanted to kiss that smug expression off her face. Looking down at Root, that look was gone. Root’s pupils where wide, her lips where swollen, and her hair was messy. Shaw bit her own lip to hold back a moan. She knew that Root would let her do whatever she wanted to her in that moment.

 

Shaw reached for the box, pulling out the candle and lighter. Root watched her expectantly.

 

“The blindfold?”

 

“No, I want to watch you and I want you to watch me.” Shaw lit the candle and waited several seconds for the wax to pool up. Testing the wax with her own finger to make sure it wouldn’t burn Root, Shaw decided that it was fine. The wax dried up quickly on Shaw’s finger, stinging but not burning. This would work. She crumbled the dry wax off her finger.

 

Shaw leaned over Root, running her hand down Root’s neck to her breast. Root’s eyes stayed fixed on the candle in Shaw’s hand as drops of wax dripped down to Root’s breast. Her body jerked up, brushing against Shaw, as the hot wax hit her skin. Leaning down to wipe the dry wax away, Shaw let her hand linger on Root’s chest, feeling her heart beat beneath the palm of her hand. Root’s heartbeat was fast and strong.

 

Root’s skin was warm and Shaw ran her hand lightly down Root’s stomach, watching her shiver. She sprinkled a few drops of wax onto Root’s hip bone, riding Root’s jerking body. Root hissed, eyes shut tight. Shaw leaned back up and kissed Root. Running her hands up her torso and pinching her nipple.

 

“Sameen, lower please,” Root whimpered.

 

Shaw blew out the candle and placed it on the nightstand. She was enjoying teasing Root and her reaction to her touch. Positioning herself from Root’s hips to lying down on her side, Shaw straddled Root’s thigh between her legs, propping her head up on her hand. Her own need becoming more apparent.

Running her hand down Root’s hips, Shaw brushed against her center with her thumb, Root’s hips bucking from the light contact. Shaw smiled at how ready Root was. Slowly, she dragged her hand lower resting it on Root’s thigh.

 

“You’re so wet. Do you want me to fuck you now?” Shaw asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Say ‘please’.”

 

“Please,” Root said, her wrists straining against the handcuffs.

 

“You don’t sound like you mean it, Say ‘please’ again.” Shaw ran her fingers teasingly up Root’s inner thigh, so close to where she knew Root needed it.

 

“Sameen, _please_.”

 

Shaw groaned appreciatively at the desperation in Root’s voice as she raked her nails up Root’s inner thigh and pressed her fingers into her. Root felt so soft and so wet against her fingers. She circled her hand and watched as Root dropped her head back against the mattress with a ragged gasp, her chest heaving, and her hips lifting to Shaw’s exploratory stroking.

 

“Look at me,” Shaw ordered as she continued to move her fingers in wide strokes across Root’s center.

 

Root obeyed and their eyes met again. Shaw took in Root’s dark pupils, wide and unfocused, and dipped her finger inside Root. Knowing that Root was completely lost in the sensations, she watched as soft moans escaped Root’s lips.

 

“Faster,” Root moaned. Her hips were matching Shaw’s strokes now, her chest heaved, and her arms strained further against the handcuffs. Shaw could tell that Root was close to her edge. Shaw’s own breath grew ragged at the sight of her. Every inch of Shaw’s body was on fire; she wanted Root and everything about her.

 

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Shaw whispered as she held back her own moan. “Come for me.” She quickened her movements, stroking Root deeper and faster. Shivering under her touch, Root felt so good and Shaw pressed herself tighter around Root’s thigh.

 

Root lost control, eyes slamming shut as she came silently. Her body quivered and Shaw could feel Root clench around her fingers. Pushing her hand against Root, fingers inside, she held her hand in place, knowing that every stroke after this moment would be too much.

 

Shaw waited for Root’s breathing to even out before she pulled her hand away. Glancing at Root’s face, she saw that Root was staring back at her, cheeks flushed and mouth smirking. Shaw froze, completely turned on.

 

“Want me to touch you now, Sameen?” Root asked, that same self satisfied look now back in full force.

 

Shaw felt herself gulp, her entire body was on fire. She knew that Root had seen her face, seen how much she wanted her. Shaw quickly checked the box for a key and clumsily unlocked the handcuffs. All she wanted in that moment was for Root to touch her, she didn’t care that Root was getting the upper hand.

 

Root sat up and kissed Shaw hard pulling Shaw onto her lap. Root didn’t tease like Shaw did. She pressed her fingers into Shaw, right where she needed them, and traced wide circles over her clit. Root reached her free hand up and tore the rubber band out of her ponytail, watching as long, dark hair fell over tan shoulders. She dug long fingers into Shaw’s hair, tugging her head to the side. Root brushed Shaw’s ear with her lips, nipping at her gently.

 

“You look so hot when you need me,” Root whispered and Shaw could hear the smile in her voice. A few seconds later, Root moaned softly in Shaw’s ear as she fucked her.

 

Shaw held on to Root, digging her nails into Root’s shoulder causing her to gasp. Everything felt so good, from Root’s moans to the way Root’s body pressed into hers. Closing her eyes, Shaw bucked her hips against Root’s fingers.

Unable to hold on, Shaw moaned loudly without thought, not caring about volume, as she let herself become drowned in the waves of pleasure. Root’s moans against her ear coaxing her climax closer to the surface. Her orgasm hit and she let it wash over her.

 

She felt Root push her onto her back. When Shaw opened her eyes, they were lying side by side on the bed. Shaw took in Root’s smug face staring back at her and felt Root’s hand between her thighs. Her stomach did a backflip at the sight and the feeling of her. Gently, Root pushed two fingers inside Shaw and curved them, thrusting in slow long strokes.

 

“Hey sweetie, was that good?”

 

“Yeah.” A shiver ran up Shaw’s body as Root thrusted faster, running her thumb occasionally over Shaw’s still sensitive clit between strokes. Shaw’s body tensed as she felt a second orgasm build up and then shuddering as she came from Root’s touch. Leaning in, Root bit down on Shaw’s shoulder as she came, mixing in pain and pleasure. Once Shaw’s body relaxed, Root took her hand away from between Shaw’s legs and rested her hand on her thigh.

 

They lay silently for a few minutes, crammed into the small bed, as their breathing evened out. Shaw felt Root’s hand travel up her stomach. It was still wet and Shaw looked down, noticing pink spots between Root’s breasts where the candle wax had been. Shaw traced these marks with her fingers.

 

“Wait here,” Shaw said, rolling off the bed and leaving the room. She could feel Root’s eyes on her as she walked out the door. Crossing the living room in a few, quick steps, she walked into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge and pulling out a water bottle.

She hurried back to the room, bottle in her fist as she walked back to Root who was now sitting up on the bed, and leering at her appreciatively. Shaw rolled her eye’s, it didn’t bother her to walk around naked. It made her feel good knowing that Root wanted her no matter how many times they’ve slept together.

 

She twisted the cap off of the water and handed it to Root. “Here.”

 

Shaw sat back down on the bed and watched Root drink from the water bottle. When Root handed back the water bottle to her, Shaw noticed that her wrists were red from the handcuffs and put the water bottle on the ground instead of drinking. She massaged Root’s wrists and hands gently, to help with the circulation. Working in silence, Shaw ignored Root’s doe eyed gaze on her. When she was done, she dropped Root’s hands.

 

“I’m sleeping on the couch tonight,” Shaw announced, standing up. It was one thing to have sex in Root’s childhood bed, but cuddling inside that room for four days was out of the question.

 

“Ok,” Root didn’t argue. She watched Shaw pick up her clothing from the floor and walk off to the bathroom to clean up.

 

>>>

 

The next day, they were back in the truck. Root had told Shaw to pack them enough food to last them the day and to bring blankets, camping chairs, and firewood. She’d watched Root happily stuff a box of old junk next to several gas cans in the bed of the truck. Whatever Root had planned, it didn’t seem to be that bad. From Root’s perspective anyway. Shaw was still uncertain if she was going to like it.

 

“Where are we going?” Shaw asked, looking out the window. She wasn’t up for anymore surprises on this trip. She was done tagging along in the dark.

 

“You’ll see,” Root answered enigmatically, turning into a dirt road. “I think you’ll like this one.”

 

Shaw wasn’t too sure that she was going to like this. They had passed a beat up gas station a few miles back and nothing on the horizon looked like it was going to be fun. It was just dirt and tumble weeds from here on out.

 

Root finally turned off a dirt road and parked under a lone tree. They were on empty land that was covered in dirt and weeds. Shaw watched a blue tailed lizard scurry up a broken fence that was running through the property. The fence looked like it was once meant to keep cattle in. A fire pit was located just feet away from where Root had parked the truck.

This whole area didn’t seem very impressive overall, maybe, it had been a ranch in some past life. Watching as Root got down out of the truck and moved around to the back, she pulled out two camping chairs from the bed of the truck and walked to the fire pit. Getting down from the truck, Shaw looked around.

 

They had left Bishop a few miles back. Shaw didn’t see any buildings or signs of people anywhere in the distance. She wondered how Root found this place.

 

“This is where I learned how to shoot,” Root said, as she cleared some weeds from around the fire pit. “I thought we’d shoot some things and eat some food.”

 

“Ok, I can deal with that,” Shaw shrugged. It wasn’t going to be as bad as Shaw thought. This wasn’t going to be a horrible day.

 

Root got out the box of junk and pulled out a set of glass jars for target practice. She put them down on the ground and reached back into the box. Some old Christmas ornaments came out next and she smiled at Shaw.

 

“Wanna help me decorate, Sameen?” Root said cheerily, gesturing to an oversized bush.

 

“As long as we get to shoot stuff.” Shaw took a red ornament from Root’s hand and Root winked at her in response, closing both eyes at the same time, it was a poor executed wink that Shaw found enduring. Taking the wink as a yes, Shaw helped Root set up some ornaments on the bush and several glass jars on what was left of the fence.

 

“I’d go out here after school sometimes and just shoot,” Root said after they’d finished setting up. “I got pretty good.”

 

Shaw rolled her eyes at Root’s comment as they stood back from the targets. Bringing out her USP Compact that had been resting comfortably in the back of her jeans, she lined up her shot on a Santa ornament that was missing his right hand. Root got to it first, pulling out two handguns from her jacket, she shattered the ornament on her first shot. Knowing that Root was just showing off, Shaw shattered two more ornaments before Root could squeeze her second shot in.

 

Shaw never thought of where Root had learned how to shoot the way she did. She knew that out of all of them, she and John had the best training. They were military. Root was a lonely kid out in the sticks. It was impressive that Root had gotten so good just driving out here and practicing on her own.

 

Shaw could imagine Root teaching herself to shoot two targets at once. Using two guns was impractical, but it was kind of hot, too. Shaw could almost see the lanky blonde teen from the old, framed pictures coming out here with her old trucks and a few rounds of ammunition. It was very Texas.

 

The sun started to set and they gathered some kindling, dry weeds, and leftover firewood from the back of the truck for the fire pit. Shaw started a fire and Root set out an ice chest that they had brought. Root was drinking a cold soda and Shaw poured some whiskey in hers.

The last conversation died hours ago as Shaw sat next to Root in a camping chair. They had shot up all their targets and finished their sandwiches. It was nice, being able to enjoy someone’s company without being expected to say anything. The silence felt welcome, Root never pressured her into any kind of emotional labor.

 

This was very different than the craziness of New York. It was quiet and this whole trip had been strangely intimate. They’d been drawn to each other even as enemies and now they’d been sleeping together for years, still drawn to each other. No matter what they went through, they would probably always be drawn to each other. Shaw liked that they never talked about it.

 

“Have you heard from your robot overlord?” Shaw asked, breaking the silence.

 

“No, not since the house.” Root threw some branches into the crackling fire.

 

“Oh.”

 

“No Wifi,” Root said, simply, as though this was a fact that Shaw should have already known about. That figured. It never occurred to Shaw that The Machine’s communication could be disrupted by spotty Wifi. Couldn’t The Machine contact Root some other way? Through satellite? Was The Machine just giving them space? Shaw didn’t know, she still found Root’s relationship with The Machine odd.

 

The sky was pitch black above them and the moon and stars were bright in the night sky. They’d been out here for hours and they were out of wood and food.

 

“I’m getting the blankets out.” Shaw said, standing up, kicking her feet to stretch out her legs.

 

She walked over to the truck, stopping on the passenger side and pulling open the door. She picked the blankets up and shut the door. Root had followed her, walking instead to the bed of the truck to pull out a folded up air mattress.

 

Silently they set up the air mattress together, filling it with air from the electric pump that they had brought with them, and laying it out in the bed of the truck. Their hands brushing against each other as they placed the blankets on the mattress. It felt more obvious that it was just the two of them because of the setting. It was a complete contrast from New York.

Shaw was used to the distractions of a big city. This small town made her more aware of everything. She was more aware of Root and a sadness she carried when she passed certain parts of this town and certain parts of the house.

 

They had both neglected to bring a change of clothes, so they just slid out of their jeans and curled up under the blankets, lying down side by side the best they could in the small air mattress. This was the first time in a long time where Shaw had seen the stars like this.

 

She looked over at Root as she stared up into the sky. The stars where nice, but Root was more interesting. Shaw wondered what Root was thinking. She never cared what it felt like to have emotions the way that everyone else does but she wondered about the way Root felt them. Especially since certain places in this town made Root sad. Why would Root do that to herself and why invite her?

 

“See something you like?” Root asked with a playful smile. She dropped her head to the side to stare at Shaw.

 

“Nothing,” Shaw grumbled. She felt Root’s hand brush against her thigh under the blankets.

 

“Need me to warm you up, darling?” Root drawled in a Texas accent. Since they’d been here, Root was laying on the accent to avoid Shaw’s questions. She had done it in the truck when Root first picked her up from the airport.

 

“Not tonight.” Shaw batted away Root’s hand.

 

“Ok. Mind if I do?” Root asked. Shaw knew what she meant. They both had done it before when one of them wasn’t in the mood. Also, to be completely truthful, the only reason Shaw wasn’t in the mood was because this setting was too intimate. The whole camping deal with shooting, decent food, stargazing, and cuddling felt too much like a romantic date that needed to be topped off by getting laid.

 

“Knock yourself out,” Sameen muttered.

 

“Thank you,” Root mouthed, her lips visible in the bright moonlight. She turned onto her back, only visible from her shoulders up. Shaw propped herself up on her side facing Root. She knew Root got turned on by having her as her audience and even if she wasn’t in the mood, she still enjoyed watching Root.

 

“What do you think about?” Shaw asked. She brushed the hair away from Root’s face to have a better view. Root’s eyes fluttered closed at the question.

 

“You,” she breathed. She had already started to touch herself under the blankets.

 

“Liar,” Shaw mumbled without thinking, soft enough for Root not to hear. She probably thought about face timing her robot overlord, some loser from her past, or some one-night stand between missions. She might think about Shaw sometimes, but not every time. Shaw wasn’t sure what made her angrier – Root thinking about someone else or Root being with someone else.

Shaw started thinking about it when Root pulled out the box on the first day they stayed at the house. Knowing that she wasn’t the only one who had been in that bed, it made her see red.

 

“Hmm?” Root moaned softly and stopped her movements. She turned to face Shaw, the darkness masking her expression. Root had heard after all.

 

“You don’t think I think of you?” Root continued.

 

“Hmph,” Shaw grumbled and rolled over so her back was to Root, regretting that she had said anything at all. Shaw didn’t really care after all, did she? It just made her angry and that wasn’t caring. It was just angry. She didn’t care if Root thought of someone else or why Root brought her on this trip.

 

“Yesterday, the look on your face. God, it was so hot.” Root put her free hand on Shaw’s shoulder, pulling her back down so they were facing each other. “I’ve never seen you hesitate during a mission. You’ve thrown back live grenades, shot snipers between the eyes…”.

 

“Yeah, and what’s your point?” Shaw asked.

 

“When you looked at me, after I asked if you wanted me to touch you, you froze,” Root answered. Root bit her lip, and closed her eyes again, her hand continuing under the blankets.

 

“Are you still touching yourself?”

 

“Yeah,” Root shivered.

 

“What are you thinking now?”

 

“About yesterday,” Root answered honestly. “I like that I can do that to you. I can make you freeze.”

 

Shaw didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the answer she was expecting. Root’s confession also didn’t tell Shaw if Root thought of other people, but at least Shaw knew that in this moment Root was thinking of her. She’d let Root finish on her own tonight. Shaw was turned on, but the intimacy of the day and openness of Root’s answer made her uncomfortable and that out-weighed her need.

 

Root sounded good, her breathing hitched from getting closer to her edge, and Shaw could make out her outline under the night sky. She waited until Root had tensed and her breathing became even before kissing her deeply. When they broke off the kiss they both stayed silent for awhile.

 

“Something on your mind, Sameen?” Root asked, breaking the silence between them.

 

“No.”

 

“You sure, I didn’t get you hot and bothered. What is it?” Root drawled the last part playfully.

 

“Why did you bring me here?” Shaw finally asked.

 

“To see the stars with you.” Root teased.

 

“That’s not it.”

 

Root got silent, she seemed to be deep in thought. They lapsed into silence again.

 

“You can tell me you think about me when you masturbate but you can’t tell me why you brought me here?”

 

“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” Root answered, the playfulness gone.

 

“Ok.” Shaw let it go. She shouldn’t have asked.

 

“Goodnight, Sameen,” Root whispered.

 

“Goodnight,” Shaw said back. She looked back up at the night sky. The blankets were warm and the air was cool.

 

>>>

 

On the third day, Shaw watched as Root packed up both of their suitcases and tossed everything in the back of the truck. Root didn’t pack anything from the house to bring with them.

 

'We are leaving when the sun goes down,’ Root had told Shaw that morning during breakfast.

 

During the three days at the house, not once did they go into the main part of Bishop. They either stayed in the house or camped in the truck.

 

‘Ok.’ Shaw hadn’t questioned Root again since the night they camped out in the truck. She had given Root her space. Food, shooting stuff, and sex wasn’t a bad way to spend this trip. She had kept her anger in check; whatever was going on, she didn’t really care why Root had brought her here. She had actually enjoyed herself and that’s all that mattered really.

 

Now, Shaw watched as Root gathered the extra gasoline from the back of the truck. She started going from room to room and pouring it around the house. Shaw followed behind her, but didn’t say anything.

 

“Want to wait outside, sweetie?” Root asked, sounding more cheerful than usual. It was the voice Root used when she was about to do something reckless. Shaw just nodded and went outside. If anything happened, Shaw was still within running distance. She waited until Root was standing next to her. A small fire had started in the kitchen and Shaw could see it through the window. Root had left the stove on, gasoline-soaked rags resting on the range and they had lit the rest of the gasoline in the area before spreading throughout the house.

 

“What the hell, Root?” Shaw asked as the fire spread. It glowed brightly against the setting sun.

 

“I could have just digitally erased that I owned this house. I thought this would be more fun.” Root watched the fire spread, Shaw was more mesmerized by Root as the light of the fire danced across her face.

 

“And the truck?” Shaw asked, Root seemed particularly attached to it.

 

“Have to dump it on the way back to the airport.”

 

“That sucks.” Shaw didn’t know what to say to that.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“What did The Machine say about this trip?” This seemed like something that The Machine would disprove of.

 

“She told me not to go. It was a waste of time.” Root shrugged. “You know you asked me why I brought you here?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I didn’t want to do this alone. Even if I could have just done it with a push of a button.” Root finally answered. It made sense even if it felt a little extreme. Only Root would want to burn her past to the ground in a blazing flame of glory. Shaw didn’t know if she was the right person to bring along for this journey but Root picked her.

 

Root took Shaw’s hand as the fire started to grow and envelope the whole house. Shaw didn’t pull her hand away. She just turned towards the fire and watched.

 

“Did you have fun?” Shaw asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Did you?”

 

“Yeah,” Shaw answered truthfully, finally pulling her hand away. “You’re crazy,” she said smiling.

 

“And you like it,” Root answered playfully. She leaned in and kissed Shaw on the lips. “Hey, remember the night we played Russian roulette?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I haven’t slept with anyone else since,” Root admitted. She was referring to the night Shaw was sent to kill her. They ended up sleeping together and it all started with Russian roulette.

 

“That was several years ago, Root.”

 

“Yeah, and I haven’t been able to find anyone else as interesting since.” Root smiled. They never talked about their relationship and Shaw figured that they were keeping it casual and open this whole time. Apparently, they were not. Shaw had to admit to herself that she had not found anyone else as interesting as Root since that night either.

 

“You’re going to make me admit it,” Shaw grumbled. She liked it that they didn’t talk about the status of their relationship.

 

“I won’t push you, Sameen.”

 

“I’ve only been with you since that night, too,” Shaw said. She had told Root that she didn’t do relationships, that she was only along for the ride, but look where they ended up anyway. She smiled at the irony; she had just been thinking about how they never talked about their feelings and here they were.

 

Shaw’s answer made Root pause and Shaw could tell that it made her happy.

 

“We have fifteen minutes until the fire department shows up. Want to see how fast this Ford can go?” Root handed Shaw the keys, ending the conversation.

 

They both got into the truck. Root turned on the radio and thankfully skipped passed the country station. They sped down the street, passing a firetruck going the opposite way in the night. This was their version of a relationship and they were both okay with that.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank SloanGreyMercyDeath, FuzzyLogic, and HufflepuffLovesPizza for being beta's on this fic and really kicking my ass on making this a way better fic than it was on the first draft.
> 
> This was a side story about Root's blue truck that I had written in "Click Click Bang". Also, apologies for writing out of order before officially finishing the main fic. Also, Also, I hadn't written smut in awhile and wanted to try it again... I have no other explaination for this.


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